Tuesday, July 19, 2005

The 50 Book Challenge: #20

This is probably my second favorite book of the series. If not for some annoying relationship issues (and an implausible reaction by Ron to a certain action by Harry) it may have been my favorite.

Gone is the annoying angst ridden Harry of book five. Instead we have an intrepid detective. He's impulsive, but he's on the ball. In fact, it doesn't strike you just how on the ball he is until you get near the end, and then it hits you that it is his friends that are distracted. There are surprises and twists at the end, but so much is left unsaid by Rowling that drawing too many conclusions from the ending will probably lead you astray.

You can find summaries and plot points all over the internet, and it's truly hard to discuss anything specific about the book without revealing much, so I'll just say the following.

This book was much more engrossing than the last two. It flows quickly, and it keep hitting high points to maintain your interest. It will make an excellent movie. And the final book, I suspect, will be well over 1000 pages. A very good beginning of the end.